


A Misunderstanding

by Willowflower_Waterlily



Series: Inquisitor Anna [4]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-16
Updated: 2015-04-16
Packaged: 2018-03-23 04:48:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3755065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Willowflower_Waterlily/pseuds/Willowflower_Waterlily
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Inspired by: http://lilyrutherford.deviantart.com/art/Cullen-Rutherford-519633567.</p></blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by: http://lilyrutherford.deviantart.com/art/Cullen-Rutherford-519633567.

Anna walks up the last set of steps into her quarters, and hears a soft snore. At the top of the stairs, she sees Cullen fell asleep on her sofa. She smiles at him, and takes the opportunity to take a good look at him. He looks so much younger when he sleeps, she thinks to herself. Anna sits down at her desk and goes through her paper work, and looks up on occasion to watch Cullen as he sleeps.

 

As Anna finishes her the last of the requisitions, Cullen wakes up. "Oh, I'm sorry, Inquisitor. I must have fallen asleep." He sits up and stretches. Anna takes long strides across the room and sits down beside him.

"It's okay, and I'm Anna in here."

"All right, Anna." Cullen says, chuckling.

"I'm just glad that you got some sleep. I was worried for you." Anna reaches for Cullen's hand and twines her fingers with his.

"You don't have to worry about me, I'm sure you have many other things to worry about." 

"I worry because I care about you." Anna says as she squeezes Cullen's hand. "You worry about me when I'm out of Skyhold, right?"

"Well yeah." Cullen blushes slightly, and looks away for a second. "I have less to worry about, and we're friends, so of course I worry." Anna felt her heart plummet and shatter in her stomach. 

"Yes... Friends..." Anna pulls her hand from his, and moves away from him so he won't see the expression on her face. She tries to pull herself together when Cullen stands and walks up behind her.

"Are you okay?" Cullen asks, worrying he said something wrong.

"I'm fine, I could just use a moment or two alone please." Cullen doesn't say anything, and she hears his heavy footsteps walking away from her and down the stairs. When she hears the door shut behind him, Anna lets her tears fall. She was so sure that she was reading his signals right, and that Dorian had seen it too, but it seems like they were both wrong.

 

Anna stares up at the stars, trying to get her emotions in order when she hears her door open and close again. A few minutes later, Dorian is standing beside her on the balcony. "We were wrong." Anna says softly, a stray tear rolling down her cheek.

"About what, my dear?" Dorian looks at her confused.

"Cullen. I told him I cared about him, and asked if he worried about me when I wasn't in Skyhold, and he said he did because we're friends." Anna closed her eyes and bit her lower lip, to prevent herself from crying.

"Friends? With the way I've seen him look at you?"

"I guess it could be worse, I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up." Anna says, sighing.

"So, what are you going to do about it?" Dorian prods and Anna rolls her eyes at him.

"Nothing." Anna takes a deep breath, and turns to face Dorian. "I should have realized that he didn't see me as more when he never called me by my name, unless I asked him to. I'm the Inquisitor to him, his superior officer. I was in the military before, I know what that means to a soldier, and Cullen is definitely a soldier."

"Sure." Dorian says, shaking his head at her. "You never struck me as the quitting sort, but if you says so. Let's go get a couple of drinks."

"Okay." Anna follows Dorian back into her room, and she stops short when she sees Cullen sitting on her sofa.


	2. Chapter 2

"Cullen" Anna feels her heart racing in her chest as though she had just run a mile in full armor.

"Anna." Cullen stands up and walks toward her.

"How long have you been here?" Anna asks, worrying that he overheard what she and Dorian had said on the balcony.

"Not long. I just wanted to come back to see if you were okay, you seemed upset earlier." Cullen stops right in front of her and gazes into her eyes.

"Ah, I'm fine." Anna says and averts her gaze for a moment. "Dorian and I were going to go for drinks, would you like to come with us?

"Actually, darling, I just remembered that I have something else I need to do." Dorian grins at Anna and she shoots him a look that's a cross between mortified and angry. "We'll get drinks tomorrow." Anna watches her supposed best friend ditch her with the man she has fallen head over heals in love with staring at her. A man who she now knows doesn't feel the same for her. She takes a deep breath and turns her gaze back to Cullen.

"Was there something else you wanted?" She asks Cullen, looking in his eyes.

"Yes, actually." Cullen clears his throat and rubs the back of his neck. "Before when you said that you cared about me, what did you mean?" Anna's eyes widen, and her cheeks turn red.

"I'd rather not embarrass myself twice today with you." She turns to walk away and he grabs her hand.

"What do you mean?" He asks, "what's wrong?"

"It doesn't matter what I meant." Anna freezes as Cullen walks around her to face her again.

"Of course it matters." Cullen says, holding her hand between his.

"Fine." Anna huffs, "I think of you as more, but you do not. So there's no point in having this..." Cullen cuts Anna off by kissing her. She gasps into his lips before kissing him back. Cullen lets go of her hands and pulls her into an embrace. Breaking the kiss, Cullen plants small kisses all over Anna's face.

"I misunderstood you earlier." Cullen explains, still holding Anna in his arms. "I thought you meant that you care for me as a friend. To be honest I've cared very deeply for you from the moment we first met, but I had never dreamed that you would feel the same for me."

"I wasn't obvious enough?" Anna asks smiling.

"Thinking back on it, you were very obvious about it." Cullen kisses her again as he thinks about all the times she flirted with him. "I guess I was just in denial."

"Didn't you ever notice that the only other person I flirted with happens to enjoy the company of men?"

"Well I didn't see you flirting with anyone else, but I wasn't around you all the time." Cullen chuckles and blushes.

"Tell me truly, how long were you sitting on my sofa?"

"I came up with Dorian. I went to get him, because you seemed upset and I thought he could help you." Cullen caresses Anna's cheek and smirks at her. "He suggested that I follow him up and sit on the sofa while he talked with you."

"So you heard..."

"Everything, yes." Cullen finishes.

"Then why did you ask me?" Anna looks at him confused.

"Because I wanted to hear it directly from you." Cullen guides Anna back to the sofa, and they sit down beside one another. "I had hoped, but it seemed like too much to ask. I am a broken man, still dealing with the side effects of lyrium withdrawal... And I am a commoner, I have no title outside of the Inquisition, are you sure you would want to get involved with me?"

"I have no title outside the Inquisition either, I may be noble born, but I ran from that a decade ago. When I accepted the position the mercenary captain gave me. I will worry about you when I am away, but I have been for a while now."

"I don't want to..." Anna silences Cullen with a kiss. Cullen wraps his arms around her, and pulls Anna on to his lap. Anna cups Cullen's cheek with one hand and runs her fingers through his hair with the other as they explore each others mouths with their tongues. Cullen pulls away, and smirks when Anna tries to chase his lips with her own. "I should go, it's getting late and I know you have to head out in the morning."

"You're right," Anna says, yawning. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too, Anna." Cullen leans in and kisses her once more before they both stand up, and Anna watches him walk out of her quarters.


End file.
